Guillermo del Toro fairy tale drama The Shape of Water, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962 won the Golden Lion for Best Film at the 2017 Venice International Film Festival. The film, starring Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, Octavia Spencer, also won the Future Film Festival Digital Award, C. Smithers Foundation Award – CICT-UNESCO, and the Soundtrack Stars Award.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFYWazblaUA
The Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize went to Foxtrot by Samuel Maoz, and the Silver Lion – Award for Best Director went to Xavier Legrand for his film Custody (Jusqu’à la Garde). Custody also won the award for Lion of The Future “Luigi de Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film.
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Guillermo del Toro’s THE SHAPE OF WATER Wins Golden Lion at Venice International Film Festival
Guillermo del Toro fairy tale drama The Shape of Water, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962 won the Golden Lion for Best Film at the 2017 Venice International Film Festival. The film, starring Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, Octavia Spencer, also won the Future Film Festival Digital Award, C. Smithers Foundation Award – CICT-UNESCO, and the Soundtrack Stars Award.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFYWazblaUA
The Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize went to Foxtrot by Samuel Maoz, and the Silver Lion – Award for Best Director went to Xavier Legrand for his film Custody (Jusqu’à la Garde). Custody also won the award for Lion of The Future “Luigi de Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film.
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HUNTING SEASON, TEAM HURRICANE Win Top Awards at Venice International Film Critics’ Week
Hunting Season (Temporada de Caza) directed by Natalia Garagiola won the SIAE Audience Award, the top prize at the 32nd Venice International Film Critics’ Week.The film tells the story of a respected hunting guide in Patagonia faced with the education of his biological son recently expelled from school.
Team Hurricane by Annika Berg about eight teenage girls and their summer at a youth club, was awarded the Verona Film Club Award, and The Wild Boys (Les Garçons Sauvages) by Bertrand Mandico won the Award for the Best Technical Contribution.
The Venice International Film Critics’ Week (SIC) is the independent and parallel section organized by the National Union of Italian Film Critics (SNCCI) during the 74th Venice International Film Festival which ran August 30th to September 9th, 2017.
SIAE Audience Award
HUNTING SEASON (TEMPORADA DE CAZA) by Natalia Garagiola (Argentina, USA, Germany, France, Qatar)
Award realized thanks to the support of SIAE – Italian Society of Authors and Publishers and consisting of a € 5,000 prize.
Verona Film Club Award
TEAM HURRICANE by Annika Berg (Denmark)
Bestowed by a jury composed of the members of the Verona Film Club and awarded to the most innovative film in the section.
Mario Serandrei – Hotel Saturnia Award for the Best Technical Contribution
THE WILD BOYS (LES GARÇONS SAUVAGES) by Bertrand Mandico (France)
The General Delegate Giona A. Nazzaro commented: “An edition marked by women. An edition that celebrated the many diverse forms of talent and of new cinema. An edition embraced with great esteem and affection by the audience. An edition that revealed seven new filmmakers that will be talked about for years to come. This is the work and the mission of the Venice International Film Critics’ Week”.
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SUMMER 1993 is Spain’s Entry for 2018 Oscar Race for Best Foreign Film | TRAILER
Summer 1993 (Estiu 1993), the debut feature film of director Carla Simon, has been selected by the Spanish film academy to represent Spain in the best foreign-language film category at the 90th Academy Awards.
The story is inspired by the director Carla Simon’s own experiences as a child. Summer 1993 premiered at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival where it won Best First Feature Award.
In the summer 1993, following the death of her parents, six years old Frida moves from Barcelona to the Catalan province to live with her aunt and uncle, who are now her new legal guardians. The country life is a challenge for Frida – time passes differently in her new home and the nature that surrounds her is mysterious and estranging. She now has a little sister for whom she has to take care of and has to deal with new feelings, such as jealousy. Often, Frida is naively convinced that running away would be the best solution to her problems. Yet, the family does what it can to achieve a fragile new balance and bring normality to their life. Occasional family outings to a local fiesta or a swimming pool, cooking or listening to jazz in the garden bring them moments of happiness. Slowly, Frida realizes that she is there to stay and has to adapt to the new environment. Before the season is over, she has to cope with her emotions and her parents have to learn to love her as their own daughter.
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Rafi Pitts’ Immigration Drama SOY NERO Opens in Theaters on September 29 | Trailer
Director Rafi Pitts makes his English-language debut with Soy Nero, a timely drama about U.S. immigration policy and war in the Middle East. The film will open in theaters on September 29.
Soy Nero features a cast of rising stars including Johnny Ortiz (McFarland, USA, American Crime), Darrell Britt-Gibson (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, 20th Century Women) and Aml Ameen (The Maze Running, star of Idris Elba’s upcoming directorial debut Yardie) along with veteran actors Rory Cochrane (Hostiles, Argo) and Michael Harney (Orange is the New Black).
After several failed attempts to cross the border without papers, Mexican teenager Nero (Ortiz) finally succeeds in making it back to Los Angeles. He begins to realize the difficulty of leading a regular life as an illegal immigrant so he decides to enlist in the US Army as a “Green Card Soldier”, a short cut to citizenship. Now halfway around the world, Nero guards an Iraqi border for the US Army keeping out those who pose a threat to American interests abroad.
Soy Nero is the first film to take on the story of foreign-born soldiers in the Unite States. The US has provided a path to citizenship through the military since the Vietnam War. The program works, however, some 3,000 foreign-born soldiers have been deported.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB0lgADrBb8
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Watch Benedict Cumberbatch in Electrifying First Trailer for THE CURRENT WAR
The Weinstein Company has released the first trailer for The Current War, in which Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon) risk everything in a pitched battle to decide who will light America and usher in the new century. The film directed by Alfonso Gomez‐Rejon will open in theaters on November 24, 2017.
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Thomas Edison and Michael Shannon as George Westinghouse, The Current War is the epic story of the cutthroat competition between the greatest inventors of the industrial age over whose electrical system would power the new century. Backed by J.P. Morgan, Edison dazzles the world by lighting Manhattan. But Westinghouse, aided by Nikola Tesla, has seen fatal flaws in Edison’s direct current design. Igniting a war of currents, Westinghouse and Tesla bet everything on risky and dangerous alternating current. Directed by Alfonso Gomez‐Rejon (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) and written by playwright Michael Mitnick (Sex Lives of our Parents), The Current War also stars Katherine Waterston, Nicholas Hoult, Tom Holland, Matthew Macfadyen, and Tuppence Middleton.
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Aaron Sorkin to Receive Career Achievement Award + Premiere MOLLY’S GAME at Zurich Film Festival
Aaron Sorkin will receive the Festival’s Career Achievement Award at this year’s Zurich Film Festival (ZFF), which takes place from September 28 to October 8, 2017.
The Academy-Award® winning screenwriter and renowned playwright will receive the Award for his life’s work on October 4 at the Corso Cinema. The presentation will be followed by a Gala Premiere screening of his latest film and directorial debut Molly’s Game, which will have it’s European premiere at the ZFF. Molly’s Game stars Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba and Kevin Costner.
Molly’s Game is based on the true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans and finally, unbeknownst to her, the Russian mob. Her only ally was her criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey, who learned that there was much more to Molly than the tabloids led us to believe.
Said the Festival’s Co-Directors Nadja Schildknecht and Karl Spoerri: “Aaron Sorkin is not only regarded as one of US cinema’s greatest screenwriters, he is also widely acknowledged as the writer of several legendary plays and as the celebrated creator of The West Wing, one of the most acclaimed TV series ever made, which began in 1999 and sees Martin Sheen play the US President. We are immensely proud to welcome Aaron Sorkin to Zurich, screen his directorial debut Molly’s Game and present him with this year’s ZFF Career Achievement Award.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu4UPet8Nyc
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Showtime Releases ERIC CLAPTON: LIFE IN 12 BARS Trailer + Poster, Doc to Debut at Toronto Fest
Ahead of its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this weekend, Showtime has released the trailer and poster for Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars, directed by Oscar-winner Lili Fini Zanuck (Rush, Driving Miss Daisy).
Following the festival, the film will make its world television debut exclusively on Showtime on Saturday, February 10 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Also making its debut at TIFF this weekend is the new Showtime Documentary Film Love Means Zero, which presents an in-depth look at famed tennis coach Nick Bollettieri and will premiere on Showtime in 2018.
Told through his own words and songs, Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars is a moving and surprising film about one of the great artists of the modern era – a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner and the only artist ever inducted three times into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Spanning more than half a century of legendary popular musical innovation, the film contextualizes Eric Clapton’s role in contemporary music and cultural history. This rare and deeply intimate film reflects on Clapton’s traumatic childhood, his long and difficult struggle with drugs and alcohol, the tragic loss of his son and how he always found his inner strength and healing in music.
The documentary features extensive interviews with Clapton himself, along with his family, friends, musical collaborators, contemporaries and heroes – including late music icons B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison. Incorporating exclusive access to Clapton’s extensive personal archive, audiences will see the sheer raw talent and ambition that was blighted by personal tragedy, sacrifice and addiction.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrAvDFmE9i4
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THE FIXER is Romania’s Entry for 2018 Oscar Race for Best Foreign Film | TRAILER
Adrian Sitaru’s The Fixer / Fixeur has been selected by Romania to represent the country in the best foreign-language film category at the 90th Academy Awards.
The film starring Tudor Aaron Istodor, Mehdi Nebbou, Nicolas Wanczycki, Diana Spatarescu, Adrian Titieni, world premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.
In The Fixer, Romanian-born Radu Patru (Tudor Istodor) is a trainee at a prestigious French news network. Serving as a translator and general problem solver, or “fixer,” for the headlining journalists during his trial period, he’s looking to make his big break. He sees his opportunity when two underage Romanian prostitutes are repatriated from France, creating an international scandal. Taking advantage of his language skills and local connections, Radu is prepared to do whatever it takes to interview one of the young girls. But as he ventures into tricky moral ground, he must stop to ask himself if, as an aspiring journalist, he can live with the consequences of his actions, and if, as a father, he’s setting a good example for his son.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTMWK6YsWY8
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AMERIKA SQUARE is Greece’s Entry for 2018 Oscar Race for Best Foreign Film | TRAILER
Amerika Square (Plateia Amerikis) directed by Yannis Sakaridis is Greece’s submission for the Best Foreign-language Film at the 90th Academy Awards. The film premiered last year at the Busan International Film Festival, and has won numerous awards including the FIPRESCI Prize at Thessaloniki International Film Festival, and Best Feature at the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival.
Filmmaker Yannis Sakaridis presents a clever satirical view of the Greek migrant crisis by exploring both xenophobic and sympathetic sentiments of Greeks towards foreigners escaping the war and hardships that engulfed their native lands. Told from three different points of view, the story follow through to an upbeat, yet realistic and plausible ending.
Nakos is an unemployed inhabitant of the small neighborhood of Amerika Square who grows increasingly disgruntled at the influx of Middle Eastern migrants coming to Athens. Much of Nakos’ frustration stems from his inability to do anything about the new demographics of his neighborhood, a situation he spends most of his time brooding over instead of undertaking measures to address the much bigger problem at hand – his dead-end life. The pathetic Nakos has few close allies – his parents with whom he lives and childhood friend Billy, the selfless tattoo artist next door in whom Nakos confides his hatred of immigrants. What Nakos does not confide in Billy is a sinister plan to eliminate some of the migrants utilizing a desperate measure that accomplishes a chain reaction only resulting in the loss of Nakos’ few remaining friends. Billy, a lost soul himself who has wittingly and unwittingly impacted countless other lost souls through his line of work, seizes upon an opportunity to help two migrants escape from Athens; one of which a beautiful African singer with whom he falls in love and sees that she escapes to France at great cost to himself; the other a weary Syrian doctor escaping the war in Aleppo and trying desperately to reunite with his 9 year old daughter who has been smuggled to Germany ahead of him.
In the end, sympathy and selflessness resonate more brightly than intolerance and Nakos finds his anti-migrant attitude to have cost him his only allies and the shreds of pride and dignity that had been clutching all along.
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Todd Haynes’ WONDERSTRUCK Will Close Vancouver International Film Festival
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Wonderstruck[/caption]
Todd Haynes’ Wonderstruck will be the Closing Night film of this year’s Vancouver International Film Festival on Friday, October 13. Shut Up and Say Something, Melanie Wood’s entrancing documentary about internationally acclaimed spoken word artist Shane Koyczan, will screen at its BC Spotlight Awards Gala on Saturday, October 7.
Todd Haynes (Carol) returns with Wonderstruck a marvelous time-traveling tale that follows the parallel fortunes of two deaf 12-year-olds – Ben (Oakes Fegley), a lad in 1977 Michigan, and Rose (luminous newcomer Millicent Simmonds), a girl in 1927 New Jersey – who, for seemingly different reasons, are drawn to a gloriously rendered New York City in search of their own burgeoning identities.
VIFF unveiled its inspiring Creator Talks program, as well as the VIFF LIVE lineup.
VIFF Creator Talks
Jeremy Podeswa, Director, Game of Thrones and Greg Middleton, Cinematographer, Game of Thrones Emmy nominees, and the winners of multiple awards for their work, director Jeremy Podeswa and cinematographer Greg Middleton are two of Canada’s most successful film and television artists. They most recently brought their skills to the HBO series Game of Thrones, directing and shooting the Season 7 premiere and finale. Earlier collaborations include the films Fugitive Pieces and The Five Senses. Carlton Cuse, Writer/Executive Producer/Showrunner, Bates Motel Showrunner Carlton Cuse has mastered the art of primetime storytelling. One of television’s most successful scribes, he’s currently writing, exec-producing and showrunning the upcoming series Jack Ryan for Amazon and Colony for USA. His TV credits include Bates Motel and the smash hit Lost. Carlton also wrote the hit film San Andreas. He is the recipient of 10 Emmy Nominations. David Slade, Director/Executive Producer, American Gods and Black Mirror Join us for a fascinating and informative session as David Slade shares some incredibly unique experiences from directing pilots and forming cinematic language for series including the critically acclaimed anthology Black Mirror and hit series American Gods. The Creator Talk will be preceded by a screening of the American Gods episode, “The Bone Orchard.” Hosted by Tim Goodman, Chief TV Critic, The Hollywood Reporter. Ane Crabtree, Costume Designer, The Handmaid’s Tale A celebrated costume designer for film and television, Ane Crabtree made a lasting impression by creating the look for the Justified, Rectify, Outcast and The Sopranos pilots, along with designing multiple episodes of those shows. Most recently, she has designed costumes for the critically acclaimed series The Handmaid’s Tale. Ane has received Costume Designers Guild Award nominations for Westworld, Masters of Sex and Pan Am.VIFF LIVE
VIFF LIVE creates exceptional immersive experiences that pair live bands with films. These one-time-only shows provide an opportunity for talented visual artists to collaborate with musicians and explore the interplay between visions and voices. In addition to the special presentation of The Green Fog – A San Francisco Fantasia accompanied by a live score from Kronos Quartet, VIFF LIVE will also feature live music performing series with some of British Columbia’s hottest rising talent: Little Destroyer, Sam the Astronaut, I M U R, Jon and Roy, LIINKS, Brasstronaut, Tonye, So Loki, Louise Burns, Graftician, Desi Sub Culture and Horsepowar.
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Fairy Tale Drama NOVEMBER is Estonia’s Entry for 2018 Oscar Race for Best Foreign Film | TRAILER
November directed by Rainer Sarnet has been submitted by Estonia to represent the country in the best foreign-language film category at the 90th Academy Awards. Shot in black and white, the film is an adaptation of the novel “Rehepapp” by Andrus Kivirähk.
“The director’s perseverance is admirable, as is his courage in presenting this witty and weird, but also romantic and mysterious movie to the audience. It’s a pleasure to observe the role of nuanced camerawork in creating a magical universe, supported by ingenious art direction,” reads the official explanation of the selection committee. “It is also commendable that the filmmakers have chosen to cast interesting types who have had no previous acting experience.”
The selection committee praised the film’s tasteful score, that adds to the overall mystique of the film and helps to create a faceted and telling impression of a quirky nation from the North, trying to make its way through life in a bizarre connection with nature and parallel worlds; to escape the swamp of stagnant folklore to find a way to the sun, poetry and love.
November starring Rea Lest and Jörgen Liik, is an adult fairy-tale with a story taking place in a pagan Estonian village, where greedy and callous villagers are taking on the Plague, the Devil, and various demonic entities. A young peasant girl Liina is hopelessly in love with Hans, who has only eyes for the pretty young lady of the manor. Liina’s life is further complicated by her father demanding a fixed marriage to a foul-mouthed older man Endel.
November internationally premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, where it won the best cinematographer award for Mart Taniel. It was also selected to be shown in the official selection of the Karlovy Vary IFF and has been shown at numerous other festivals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6nXObRVhRc
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Austin Film Festival to Honor “48 Hrs.” Walter Hill and “In Living Color” Keenen Ivory Wayans
Legendary writer/director/producer Walter Hill and groundbreaking comedian/writer/director/producer Keenen Ivory Wayans will be honored at the 24th Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference (AFF). Walter Hill will receive AFF’s Extraordinary Contribution to Film Award, and Keenen Ivory Wayans will receive AFF’s Extraordinary Contribution to Television Award. Hill and Wayans join previously announced Distinguished Screenwriter award recipient Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester By The Sea).
For over 40 years, Walter Hill has served as a writer, director, and producer on a wide array of films, and has become known as one of the foremost action filmmakers in Hollywood. In addition to co-producing the science fiction blockbuster Alien, Hill wrote and directed notable films including 48 Hrs., The Warriors, The Driver, Southern Comfort, Last Man Standing, Geronimo, Wild Bill and The Long Riders. Hill has contributed to television as well, receiving both the Emmy and DGA Awards in 2005 for his work directing the HBO neo-western Deadwood.
In addition to accepting the Extraordinary Contribution to Film Award during this year’s AFF, Hill will participate in ‘A Conversation with Walter Hill’ moderated by Shane Black (writer/director The Nice Guys, Iron Man 3, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang), who cites Hill as an influence on his own career.
Keenen Ivory Wayans created, launched, and hosted the landmark 1990’s variety series, In Living Color. The irreverent, Emmy-winning series broke racial barriers and showcased Wayans’ scathing social humor. In Living Color also introduced the public to countless now-famous actors, musicians, and comedians including Damon Wayans, Jamie Foxx, Jim Carrey, and Jennifer Lopez.
Outside of television, Wayans has had a successful career writing, directing, and acting in films. He co-wrote 1987’s Hollywood Shuffle with actor/director Robert Townsend; wrote, directed, and starred in 1989’s blaxsploitiation parody I’m Gonna Git You Sucka; and directed the horror spoof Scary Movie, which remains one of the most successful feature films directed by an African-American.
Hill, Wayans, and Lonergan join a roundup of panelists confirmed to speak at this year’s Writers Conference, including the writers of films A Ghost Story, Arrival, Blade Runner: 2049, Girls Trip, Kong: Skull Island, Kubo and the Two Strings, Logan, Moana, Star Trek Beyond and television shows American Gods, I Love Dick, Power, Queen Sugar, The Deuce, The Wire, This is Us, Twin Peaks, and Underground.